Over 150 captives saved as Pakistan’s forces fight militants who attacked a passenger train.

Pakistan’s military has been involved in a lethal standoff for over 24 hours with armed militants who seized a train and took hostages, marking a significant escalation of an insurgency that has troubled the region for years.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a militant separatist organization operating in the turbulent and resource-rich southwestern province of Balochistan, asserted that it was behind the attack.

Approximately 450 passengers were aboard the Jaffer Express traveling from Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, to Peshawar in the north, when militants unleashed “heavy gunfire” as the train passed through a tunnel early in its route, officials reported.

According to security sources, Pakistan’s military initiated an operation to deal with attackers who employed “women and children as shields.”

By early Wednesday morning, security sources reported that 155 hostages were rescued and 27 militants had been killed, with videos depicting elderly women, men, and children appearing pale and frightened – yet relieved – as they were reunited with their families. It remains uncertain how many individuals are currently detained.

Traveler Mohammad Ashraf informed  that he observed over 100 armed people on the train and stated that women and children were not harmed. According to railway and government officials, at least 10 civilians and security personnel from Pakistan had lost their lives. The security sources claimed that the militants were interacting with controllers in Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s military and government have historically claimed that Afghanistan offers refuge to militant organizations, a statement which the Taliban leaders have refuted. Many injured hostages have been transported to the hospital for care, while efforts to free those still captured continue.

The kidnapping on Tuesday represents a bold event for a separatist movement aiming for increased political autonomy and economic advancement in the strategically significant and mineral-rich mountainous area. However, it also emphasizes the continually worsening security conditions in that region – a challenge that Pakistan’s government has faced for many years.

The population of Balochistan, primarily consisting of the Baloch ethnic group, is significantly disenfranchised, impoverished, and has become more estranged from the federal government due to decades of policies viewed as discriminatory.

An insurgency in the region has been persistent for years but has intensified recently after the provincial deep-water Gwadar port was leased to China, a key component of Beijing’s “Belt and Road” initiative in Pakistan. Often described as “the next Dubai,” the port has turned into a security challenge, marked by frequent bombings of vehicles transporting Chinese workers, leading to numerous fatalities.